


His Priorities

by Kemi



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-13
Updated: 2012-10-13
Packaged: 2017-11-16 05:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/535965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kemi/pseuds/Kemi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More than an empty question, it leads him right to what he actually values the most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Priorities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LMPandora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMPandora/gifts).



> ALL FOR THE MARK OF ATHENA FEELS. (swoons) PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS PLUS HEROES OF OLYMPUS FEELS ACTUALLY
> 
> It's Percy Jackson Appreciation Day for me, everyone! Consider yourself warned.
> 
> This is a (sort of) companion fic to Annabeth's "Her Realizations" but I don't think you'd have to read said fic to understand? Haha, why am I not sure, I have no idea. (Ah, but I'd be one happy writer if you do! haha) Plus, you'd definitely see my bias to Percy aha ahaha since this is obviously longer (sorry Annabeth, but I still love you!). Not that anyone would care...I guess.
> 
> Timeline would be crossing/touching Lightning Thief to, oh what do you know, Mark of Athena! (JUST FINISHED READING IT THIS DAY, AND YES I'M THAT BIASED) Hooray for Rick Riordan and his awesome mind.

At that time, the pause, same as the expression on her face he couldn't fathom, told him that it was undeniably a bad question.

Actually, he thought it was pretty stupid, considering that if she would be the one asking the question, like, " _Hey Percy, what will you do if I'm gone?_ " he was sure he'd take it the wrong way. Then again, being half-god-half-human would make anyone take everything the wrong way.

You see, ever since he was told that he's a demigod, particularly the son of the sea god, Percy Jackson (as early as age twelve) realized that he had been living his life for one purpose-that is, learning and accepting the possibility of ending it in horrible, innumerable ways even he couldn't think of (that if anything, the only reason he was kept alive was because there were so many beautiful ways to kill him they couldn't pick one). And pathetic as it was, only thing he could do was to sigh and say "Well, I'm pretty much doomed, sucks for me," to himself. But just any 'normal' being, if he'd be allowed to use the term, he had to make priorities-well, everyone has them so why wouldn't he?

And at that time, it was to survive-as much as it was futile, he had to try.

If it were just him, he could have preferred death right away; he didn't like giving anyone else the satisfaction as they watch him slowly,  _painstakingly,_ traverse through the thin line between his life and his death, like an amateur acrobat on a unicycle-ride-on-a-string routine. Why wait? It was the easiest way out.

But it was his mother's effort of protecting him all these years that made him think twice about acting on his recurring almost-suicidal thoughts. As much as Smelly Gabe is puny compared to his real dad, his mother putting up with him was nothing but sheer pain and agony. Sally Jackson, human as she is, probably is the bravest soul Percy would have ever known.

And he wasn't even being biased. He could proudly shout on top of the world "That's my mom!" any day. Except, not too proud, since just like any sons to any moms, Percy thought that he should be the one doing the protecting part. But his mother once told him that protecting himself was her protection as well (didn't really make sense at first, like it was "protection-inception"), so along with acquiescing to his supposed destiny, he had silently sworn to turn himself into someone he and even Sally would be proud of. Nothing else seemed likely to matter. And at least, that was better than waiting for life to pass by with the stinky presence of his mortal stepdad by his side.

However, as expected (he was actually surprised he  _wasn't surprised_  at all), it wouldn't come easy. And to make things worst, it all starts off with the fact that he allegedly did something he couldn't even imagine himself doing-stealing the sky god Zeus's Master Bolt. Stealing is one thing, but stealing something from someone who he barely knew existing aside from passed legends and championed statues from Mr. Brunner's class trip to the museum with his best friend Grover (who turned out to be a centaur and a satyr, respectively), more so from a  _god_ , was an entirely different level. And true enough, complicated, rhyming prophecies on top of possibly gazillion of godly controversies tangled around him (be it marital, familial, or political, or all at once you choose), not to mention that he's got what it takes to be the person on the Great Prophecy whose bound to destroy the world had sealed the deal.

Although maybe that's the thing with priorities - they wouldn't be called as such without stuff like the thrill of having you being chased to death by a minotaur and then the next day, you'd realize even more how much of a freak you are - a freak with dyslexia and ADHD no less - with the fat chance of losing the only ones who thought you matter,  _forever._ And as much as he knew that he wasn't a strong, capable person to begin with, he wasn't that faint-hearted that he'd actually compromise into something he didn't even have the slightest memory of doing. That, and the rescue of his mother was on the very top of the list.

But in his (presumed) lost, there came Annabeth. Obviously, with the course of learning-you're-a-demigod phase he had been going through ( _demigod jitters_ , as he would phrase it), it didn't stun him to find out that she was one of the many who loathe even just the mere sight of him. There were many reasons to anyway (even he himself didn't want the fact that he was essentially Poseidon's evidence for law-breaking), so definitely, they were off to a rough start just like with everybody else. He silently wished he wasn't drooling in his sleep the first time she took notice of him though- at least it would make his impression to her a little bit more decent. Though he didn't know why he just thought of that.

Thing is, he didn't really feel any sort of hatred for Annabeth. He'd go as far as declaring that he'd choose liking her over hating; he had nothing against her, even when he discovered he was supposed to, being children of archrivals god (and goddess) and all. For that matter, he'd like to think he didn't really hate anyone back, despite them resenting him. Thought it was probably with the exception of the people (creatures!) that would make ripples here and there to his professedly 'normal' life ( _oh there_ , he used the word 'normal' again-he really should stop doing that).

In the end, even he knew there  _had_ to be life ripples here and there, even...what, insurmountable series of waves, and the best thing he could do was to calm them down and straighten them off each at a time. There were lots of them certainly, but Chiron (aka Mr. Brunner) thought that it was best to tackle each with tact and caution. That's what a sane demigod would do. Although admittedly, it didn't change things that much. He was still the very definition of the word chaos, that it might as well have a Wikipedia page having his picture on it as its description. And apparently, one of the things to live up to that was to go through quests which was an admirable deed for some, an entrance to the Underworld (surprisingly literal!) for others. In which, you could imagine his surprise when he was accompanied by the least person he thought would go with him-a certain daughter of Athena who saw him drooling in his sleep and pointedly, not-so-tactfully commented about it.

And as it turned out, Chiron was right. The Bolt was returned, and so was his mom, which made him look things a bit differently. His very first quest didn't let him survive unscathed of course, but at least now he knew he wasn't the same Percy Jackson who thought that his ADHD and dyslexic tendencies were curses which he had no idea where it was coming from. Though he'd like to think that more than the centaur's words of wisdom, Grover, and his other friends he gained at camp, Annabeth, just being there with him, was the biggest reason for it. If his mother is the bravest soul he knew, then Annabeth would be the most elegant, intelligent one. She certainly wasn't the type to be protected, but learning to treasure her was pretty much the reason how he was managing to live his new life (whether he likes it or not) as one of the Big Three's demigod offspring. And quite frankly, he finds their seemingly rubbish fights, and even the name 'Seaweed Brain' (totally not minding the mock it actually meant) as cherries on top.

It was pretty much the same with all his other succeeding quests. The search for the Golden Fleece, Sea of Monsters, you name it. Actually, if he'd let his will be done, he'd always prefer Annabeth, above anyone else, by his side. It wasn't just because she knew the know-hows that he didn't, but somehow, her presence...soothes him. And he believes, even now, that it was a good thing. Partly the reason why Luke was a constant sore topic, not just for her but for him as well, and ultimately why he lost it when she first disappeared, only to be found on Atlas's lair-that later made the grey strands visible on both their heads. That was the first time he realized how she made quite an impact to him, and how he was willing to cross pretty much everything (from seas, to mountains, to Mt. Olympus and even the Underworld) just to make sure she wouldn't carry the world by herself. Sometimes, it was literal, but most of the time, it didn't have to be.

_Well, welcome to my world._

Then came Daedelus's labyrinth, and  _the good luck kiss_ (that was embarrassingly his first one, not counting the Sea of Monster's cheek kiss). And just like that, it was his sixteenth birthday, about time that the Great Prophecy unravel itself to them with everyone at Camp Half-Blood, most especially him, hanging by the edge to stay alive, no thanks to Kronos and his cronies. By that time he realized he'd changed most of his utmost concerns, most of which came as natural as he had been fighting with Riptide. But more to his family and his friends, most of those concerns centered to someone who he thought would do the same for him-even going as far as to take a critical hit meant for him to protect his most vulnerable side.

Someone who he thought had been doing very well in watching his back. And most importantly, someone who he'd gladly share the most amazing underwater kiss of all time, no matter how many or how long.

Thinking all of that, there was exactly no words he could find to the question he asked himself to her.  _Typical Seaweed Brain thinking, self._

" _Simple, I'll find you Idiot,_ " was what he remembered her saying, when he continuously replayed his frustratingly dim pieces of memories, who fortunately was  _her_ , about his life after the annoyingly ungrateful goddess Juno erased everything from his head. " _But well, you have to make it easy for me to find you. Or I'll kill you myself._ "

It was fuzzy flashback (then again, most of the things on his mind had been) that he couldn't precisely remember what even made him go and touch a sensitive subject (for both of them, as much as he knew) such as breaking up or being apart from each other. Looking back, now he was actually fighting the urge to punch himself for the mere thought. Though he did hope he, in one way or another, had been keeping it easy for her, like he promised.

" _You better._ " Back then, the seriousness of his reply, or his expression, didn't made him think twice about it being not in the realm of the impossible, which sucked big time. But on the brighter side, even just bits of her memories on his mind was enough to keep him sane. To keep him focused on things he has to accomplish, and more importantly, to gain his old life back.

However true that he was physically and socially functional, even joining a quest for another bigger happening-slash-catastrophe (courtesy of Gaea) at another part of the gods' civilization and territory, a larger part of him yearned for their reunion, whether it'd be Greek or Roman (though he could tell it'd hardly make any difference), or both.

And when they did, ephemeral as it was since she'd have to face her own duties as much as he was supposed to, he had told himself to prepare for anything-from the best things, even down at the worst. Since it was simple as how he controls the water-he believes that she believes in him, no matter how it might sound ridiculous and tragic.

The danger it included was the hardest to swallow. She wasn't fragile, a warrior actually, and he was aware of that, that he was almost compelled to deduce it had been actually about him losing her even for a moment and not being able to move on and get over it as he should be. He'd like to think of himself as a pretty grateful demigod of Olympus, but he was sure that if he were someone else, he wouldn't blame himself thinking,  _Now_ she  _has to go, and with my consent too, just how unfair is that?_

Even as he reluctantly let her go after a wonderful (almost premonition-esque, actually) mock-Italian lunch near the Ancient Rome's Tiber River and to the hands of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, he couldn't seem to shake it off.

Regardless, as he went back for  _Argo II_ , with possible angry Romans in tow, he vowed to himself (and to the River Styx) that he would,  _should_ live long enough to get back together safely with his friends and Annabeth to hold her hand so tight and declare that he'd  _never_ have to leave her again.

**FIN.**

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't include the last parts of the latest book (Mark of Athena) because it had been painfully beautiful in its own way, personally. No need for another fanfiction interpretation. PERCY YOU ROMANTIC CREATURE YOU. Ah and one teeny, tiny request. House of Hades, Fall 2013, please come soon. T_T


End file.
